WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/NZL/48 
18 September 2008 
 (08-4338) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:         
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:    
New Zealand Ministry of Transport 
Novell House, 89 The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand PO Box 3175, Wellington, New Zealand Tel: +64 4 4721253 
Fax: + 64 4 439 9002 
Email: t.oakes@transport.govt.nz
 
Website: www.transport.govt.nz 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Light passenger 
vehicles, classes MA, MB and MC. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Land Transport Rule: 
Vehicle Equipment (Immobilisers) Amendment 2008 (3 pages, available in English only) 
6. Description of content:    
Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Equipment (Immobilisers) Amendment [2008] (the 
amendment Rule) amends Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Equipment 2004 (the Rule), which 
sets safety and maintenance requirements for equipment fitted to motor vehicles. 
The objective of the amendment Rule is to ma ke immobilisers mandatory for the following 
light passenger vehicles, as they enter into service for the first time in New Zealand: 
- passenger cars (Class MA); 
- forward control passenger vehicles (Class MB); and 
- off-road passenger vehicles (Class MC). 
An immobiliser is an electronic device that interrupts the power supply to the vehicle’s 
engine unless the correct electrical signal is provided to the device. G/TBT/N/NZL/48 
Page 2  
 
  Under the amended Rule, a light passenger vehicl e, which was not first registered outside 
New Zealand more than eight years before its entry into service in New Zealand, is required 
to be fitted with an immobiliser device in or der to be certified for entry into service. The 
amendment applies to vehicles entering New Zealand from the date the amendment Rule 
comes into force.  
A vehicle inspector or inspecting organisation is  not allowed to certify a vehicle covered by 
the Rule if it is not fitted with an immobiliser , or if the inspector or inspecting organisation 
believes the immobiliser is not in working order.  Those vehicles are, therefore, not able to 
be registered for use on New Zealand ro ads unless they comply with the Rule.  
The Rule allows for compliance either by provi ng that the vehicle was manufactured to an 
approved immobiliser standard and the vehicle’ s security system has not been modified, or 
by proving by other means that an immobiliser is fitted. 
The amendment Rule does not apply to: 
- motor sport vehicles;  
- scratch-built vehicles; 
- special interest vehicles as defined in Land Transport Rule: Frontal Impact 2001 ; 
- vehicles first registered outside New Zealand more than eight years before their entry into service in New Zealand; or - vehicles re-entering service in New Zealand. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  
The proposal to make immobilisers mandatory for light passenger vehicles was one of six 
initiatives in the Ministry of Justice’s Vehicle Crime Reduction Programme. This 
programme was initiated as part of the Government’s Crime Reduction Strategy , which 
made the reduction of vehicle crime a priority.  
This amendment Rule is intended to prevent ve hicle theft, which often results in stolen 
vehicles being driven in an unsafe manner a nd being involved in crashes. The amendment is 
also expected to reduce the cost s associated with vehicle theft. 
8. Relevant documents:    
- Notice of intention to make the Rule was published in the New Zealand Gazette  on  
24 April 2008; 
- Proposal and basic document to which proposal refers – Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Equipment (Immobilisers) Amendment 2008; - Publication in which proposal will appear when adopted -  New Zealand Gazette.  
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    October 2008 
1 July 2009 
10. Final date for comments:   29 September 2008  G/TBT/N/NZL/48 
 Page 3 
 
 
  11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
New Zealand Ministry of Transport 
Novell House, 89 The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand PO Box 3175, Wellington, New Zealand 
Tel: +64 4 4721253 
Fax: + 64 4 439 9002 Email: t.oakes@transport.govt.nz
 
Website: www.transport.govt.nz